1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to mobile device communication applications and, more particularly, to a system and method for converting characters entered on a user interface to images or animations on a display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of mobile electronic communications devices, such as smart phones, to send and receive messages is well known. Electronic messaging services such as short messaging service (“SMS”) and multimedia messaging service (MMS) are well established, and a employed in societies across the globe daily to facilitate communication between users of such communications devices.
One result of the proliferation mobile electronic communication devices and the increasing use of electronic messaging services has been the development of various acronyms and shorthand expressions for various thoughts and reactions a user may have during a messaging conversation. In accordance with the same, conventional messaging service software on mobile electronic communications devices allow a user to covey emotion or express a current disposition through the use of emoticons. A problem which still exists, however, is that conventional emoticons are static, bland, and sometimes difficult to comprehend. Thus, what is needed is an electronic messaging system and method which causes to be displayed an animated character who acts out and/or demonstrates the emotions or thoughts connected with a particular emoticon. It would be helpful if such a system and method for animating electronic messages was configured to automatically integrate into exiting messaging service applications of a mobile device. It would be additionally desirable for such a system and method for animating electronic messages to automatically associate animations with characters or emoticons in a message and replace such characters or emoticons with associated animations.
The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a system and method for replacing designated characters and/or emoticons in electronic messages with an animated character who acts out a thought or message. The primary steps of Applicant's system and method for animating electronic messages include identifying an particular emoticon or character string in a message, associating the identified emoticon or character string, and replacing the associated emoticon or character string with an animated character. When in operation, the system and method for animating electronic messages allows a user to send and receive an animated character over conventional messaging systems in place of standard characters or emoticons. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by conventional messaging services are removed.